


Yule Love It

by UnsealingKale



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Girlfriends/No Wives, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Fluff, Kissing, Kissing Booths, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 22:41:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21896701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnsealingKale/pseuds/UnsealingKale
Summary: Link runs the kissing booth at a Christmas fair, and Rhett is determined to get a kiss before the end of the night.
Relationships: Rhett McLaughlin/Link Neal
Comments: 14
Kudos: 51





	Yule Love It

**Author's Note:**

  * For [captainsourwolf](https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainsourwolf/gifts).



> This is for captainsourwolf/Elizabeth who wished that someone would write a kissing booth fic and gave me some ideas when I offered to try. This was a lot of fun to write! I really hope you’ll like it!

Was it possible to have dinosaurs in your stomach? Rhett wasn’t sure, but he definitely had more than butterflies fluttering around inside him as he stared at the sign-up sheet at the back of the town library. His best friend and longtime crush, Link, had signed up to work the kissing booth at their local charity Christmas fair. Maybe, if he played his cards just right, he could get a kiss before the end of the week. He blushed just thinking about it as he signed up to be part of the maintenance crew. It might not be the easiest choice, but it would give him plenty of time to sneak off to visit Link in between jobs.

Time seemed to move in slow motion during the days leading up to the start of the fair. Rhett had lots of time to imagine the way Link’s lips might feel against his. Would they be dry or soft and glossy from the chapstick that he always used? Would Link be able to feel the way Rhett felt about him through the kiss alone? Did he really want Link to know how he felt? What if Link refused to kiss him because they were friends and it would make things weird between them? And just how many kisses would Link be giving out during the fair exactly? Four hours a day over a long weekend was a whole lot of time for a lot of lips to touch Link’s. Would Rhett be able to taste other people on Link’s lips? He shook his head and took a deep breath to clear the jealousy that clouded his thoughts. It would be worth it to kiss Link, if even just once. This might be his only chance to kiss him, and he wouldn’t let a few dumb thoughts stop him from fulfilling one of his secret desires.

When the opening day finally arrived, Rhett spent an hour and a half getting ready. He usually just threw on anything that was clean, but he wanted to look good for Link. He finally settled on his favorite red sweater and a pair of fitted dark jeans. He styled his hair neatly, running product through the strands with his fingers until his hair looked just how he liked it. He sprayed on some cologne, remembering that Link had complimented him on it once. Maybe it would help his case tonight.

It was almost dark by the time the fair opened. Glittering lights and green and red decorations hung from every building and booth. All of the trees were covered with ornaments and strands of garland, looking pretty even in the artificial light from the streetlights. The smell of kettle corn filled the air and Christmas music played softly from unseen speakers. Link was here somewhere, but Rhett didn’t pass the kissing booth as he followed the directions he’d been given by email. He ignored his nerves and held his head high as he went to meet his team.

There were only ten people working on the maintenance crew, a much smaller group than Rhett had expected for the size of the fair. His heart sank as the maintenance volunteer coordinator began to speak, detailing the amount of work that would be expected from each of them. She passed out sheets of paper, and Rhett frowned when he read the long list of chores that would fill his evening. It was way more work than he had expected. He hung his head. He might not have time to sneak away to visit Link’s booth after all. Maybe all of this would be for nothing.

He shuffled his feet as he headed off for his first task, emptying the small trash cans in the west side bathrooms. It was amazing how quickly they’d filled up. The fair had only just opened, but people were messy. Thank goodness that he didn’t have toilet cleaning duty at least. Next, he had to check on some of the craft vendors and see if they needed any repairs done. Luckily, there were no problems there yet. Rhett kept his eyes peeled as he headed off to help assemble a few displays, but the kissing booth was nowhere to be seen. The fair looped in a big circle, and so far, he’d been limited to one side by his list of chores.

Finally, about forty minutes before the fair closed for the night, the maintenance coordinator radioed and said they were free to relax and enjoy the fair until closing. They’d have to stay after to help clean up, but Rhett didn’t care. He put his long legs to work and booked it to the other side of the fair in search of his friend.

Rhett’s heart soared when he saw the little booth. Link was perched on a stool behind a wooden table, his upper body framed by a sign that was covered with giant pink hearts. A smiling young woman was walking away as Rhett approached. She must have just kissed Link. Rhett bristled at the thought, but took a deep breath and focused on his goal. The dinosaurs in his stomach came back with a vengeance when he got close enough to read Link’s shirt. _Kiss me, Yule love it_ , was written across his chest in glittery shades of green and red. A headband with reindeer antlers and a necklace with glowing Christmas lights completed his merry look.

“Hey, Link,” Rhett greeted. Oh, did his voice sound weird? He cleared his throat and tried again. “How’s it going?”

“Good, busy. I’ve given out lots of kisses. Things have actually just started to slow down,” Link said. “It’s been really fun though. How about you? I figured I’d see you around tonight.”

Rhett shook his head and groaned. “I’ve been so busy. This is the first break I’ve had all night. My back is killing me.” He would probably have to take some painkillers and soak in the tub when he got home to ease his tight muscles.

“I’m sorry. I told you you should have signed up for one of the other booths. I get a short break every hour.” Link frowned up at him, concern in his clear blue eyes. “You must be starving too. Here, let me tell my coordinator and we can go grab a burger or something together before the fair closes. Maybe we can play some games too, if we have enough time.”

“No!” Rhett held up his hands when Link started to stand up. “Uh, I want a- Can I have a kiss first? I don’t have any tickets, but… Please?” Rhett’s face burned as he waited for the answer.

“Oh, of course! You definitely deserve a kiss after how hard you’d worked tonight.” Link smiled at him. He bent over and picked something up from underneath his booth. “Hold out your hand. I’ll give you two because you’re my best friend.”

Rhett did as he was asked and frowned when Link placed two Hershey’s Kisses in the center of his palm. “Oh. But...” Rhett stares at the little candies. Surely this was some kind of joke. Link was messing around with him. “Come on, man. I’m serious.”

“You want more?” Link grabbed a few more Hershey’s Kisses from under the table and passed them to Rhett.

“No, dude. I want a kiss. Like the kind you’ve been giving out to everyone else tonight.” How many times did he have to say it? His throat threatened to close up on him every time the word kiss came out of his mouth as it was. His nerves wouldn’t last much longer if he had to keep repeating himself.

Link rolled his eyes as he handed Rhett a few more candies. “Okay, now that’s enough. You can buy your own if you want more. Let’s go get some real food.”

Rhett fumed as Link stood and walked around the table to join him. He had worked so hard for this, and now it was all for nothing. He looked at Link’s shirt again. _Kiss me, Yule love it._ Rhett would love it. Suddenly, he knew that couldn’t go home without a kiss. He couldn’t let this be for nothing. “I meant this kind of kiss,” Rhett said. He leaned down and planted a kiss on Link’s lips. He swore he heard music play in his head as he felt Link’s lips against his.

But then Link pulled away and stared up at him wide-eyed and confused. “What the crap, man? What are you doing? What was that?” Link sounded mad. Really mad.

“A kiss. Like your shirt says. Like I thought...kissing booth.” Rhett tried to explain as panic started to set in. He’d messed up big time. Link was never never going to forgive him. He would probably never talk to him again. Their friendship was over. How could he have ever thought it was a good idea to kiss his best friend?

“It’s not that kind of kissing booth,” Link said. Rhett watched as the anger melted from his face and was replaced by an unreadable expression. “You really think I’d sign up to kiss a bunch of random people? Me? You know how I am about germs. I just thought the shirt was cute. The only kisses I’m giving out are the candy kind.”

“Oh.” Now that he thought about it, that was a good point. Link didn’t even like to eat or drink after anyone.

“But,” Link said.

“But?”

“But I think I could make an exception for a certain tall boy.” Link raised his eyebrows. “If you want.”

“Please,” Rhett said. That single word was all he could manage. He felt lightheaded as he watched Link move away from him. He almost panicked, but then he realized what Link was doing as he settled back into his chair on the other side of the table.

“One kiss?” Link asked. He leaned forward and rested his chin on his hands to make his face easier to reach across the table.

“Yeah,” Rhett breathed, and for the second time that night, he leaned down and kissed his best friend. This time, Link’s lips were warm and pliable against his, and soon he was kissing back eagerly. Rhett couldn’t resist cradling Link’s face as he melted into the kiss, sucking gently on Link’s pouty bottom lip. The dinosaurs in his stomach were long gone, replaced by something much more delicate and gentle that blossomed in his heart.

When they finally broke apart, Link sighed softly. “You know, that was by far the best kiss I’ve given out all night.”

Rhett blushed. “Really?”

“Definitely. ‘Cause I got something in exchange for it.”

“What’s that?” Rhett asked.

“A dinner date.” Link grinned up at him, showing off the pointy canines that Rhett had always found cute. He got up and moved around the table again, standing next to Rhett. “Come on.”

Rhett found himself laughing for no reason at all when Link took his hand and laced their fingers together, swinging their hands merrily between them as they walked through the decorated village where Santa’s area was set up on their way to the makeshift food court. As they walked past the oversized chair and plastic reindeer, Santa looked over at them and winked. Rhett suddenly felt sure that he had done exactly the right thing.

He was even more sure that night, when they crashed in the same bed after a long work shift, sharing more kisses and making special promises for the new year.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. The Hershey’s Kisses were captainsourwolf’s idea. I thought it was brilliant! Link’s shirt was inspired by one I saw the other day that said that. I couldn’t resist, lol.


End file.
